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Extraordinary Rendition Flights

The reply of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Jack Straw) of 12 December to the question put by the right honourable Member for North East Fife, Sir    Menzies Campbell, (Official Report, House of Commons, Col. 1652W), stated that officials had identified a few instances during the administration of President Clinton where the US authorities had requested permission to render a detainee through UK territory or airspace. I added that officials continued to search the records. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have now completed a search of all relevant records back to May 1997. This search has turned up one further case, also in 1998: the Government declined a US request to refuel a flight carrying two detainees en route to the US.